PatriotFB Notebook (.PDF)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh (9-3, 5-1 PL) travels to Moscow, Idaho, to face No. 8 Idaho (9-3, 6-2 Big Sky) in the 2024 NCAA DI FCS Championship Second Round on Saturday. Live coverage on ESPN+ begins at 9 p.m. ET with Shawn Kenney providing the play-by-play and Marcus Ray adding analysis. An audio broadcast of the game will also be available on Fox Sports Radio Lehigh Valley (94.7 FM/1230 AM) with Matt Kerr, Jim Guzzo and Connor Brown on the call. The winner of the Mountain Hawks and Vandals will meet the winner of No. 1 Montana State vs. UT Martin in the quarterfinals.
 
LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (9-3, 5-1 PL) AT NO. 8 IDAHO VANDALS (9-3, 6-2 Big Sky)
P1FCU Kibbie Dome/Moscow, Idaho    Saturday, December 7 – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
LIVE STATS
BROADCAST (ESPN+): PxP - Shawn Kenney; Analyst - Marcus Ray
BROADCAST (Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM/1230 AM): PxP - Matt Kerr; Analyst - Jim Guzzo; Sideline - Connor Brown
SERIES HISTORY:  Lehigh and Idaho meet for the second time in series history. The Mountain Hawks fell, 77-14, at the Kibbie Dome in 1993, one week before claiming their first Patriot League title with a 39-14 win over Lafayette.
LAST MEETING: (Nov. 13, 1993) – At Idaho 77, Lehigh 14
NOTES: LEHIGH | IDAHO
 
LEHIGH DEFEATS FUTURE PATRIOT LEAGUE RIVAL NO. 9 RICHMOND IN FCS CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST-ROUND
Patriot League Co-Champion Lehigh upset No. 9 Richmond (10-3, 6-0 CAA), 20-16, in the First Round of the 2024 FCS Playoffs. The Mountain Hawks scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a 16-7 deficit. First-year RB Jaden Green opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a 65-yard touchdown run. Fy. QB Hayden Johnson found Jr. WR Geoffrey Jamiel on a 54-yard touchdown pass with 6:21 remaining in the fourth quarter to put Lehigh in front for good. The Mountain Hawks earned its first postseason victory since 2011 and sixth in program history.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
•Since 1997, Colgate and Lehigh are tied for the Patriot League lead with six FCS Playoff victories. Fordham (3) and Holy Cross (2) have also earned victories in the playoffs.
 
•Patriot League teams are 10-17 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one postseason game in nine seasons during that span. A Patriot League team has reached the quarterfinal round four times since 2010: Lehigh (2011), Colgate (2015 and 2018) and Holy Cross (2022).
 
•Prior to this season, the last Patriot League playoff victory was by Holy Cross, who defeated New Hampshire, 35-19, in the second round of the 2022 FCS Playoffs before falling to eventual national champion No. 1 South Dakota State (42-21) in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders had also downed NEC Champion Sacred Heart in 2021, 13-10. In 2018, Colgate advanced to the quarterfinal round, falling to eventual FCS Champion North Dakota State, after defeating James Madison (23-20) in the second round.
 
LEHIGH IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
The Mountain Hawks will be playing their 16th FCS playoff game when they travel to No. 8 Idaho for their second-round matchup. Lehigh is 6-9 in FCS postseason appearances.
1998 – At Lehigh 24, Richmond 23
1998 – At UMass 27, Lehigh 21
1999 – At Hofstra 27, Lehigh 15
2000 – Lehigh 37, at Western Illinois 7
2000 – At Delaware 47, Lehigh 22
2001 – At Lehigh 27, Hofstra 14
2001 – At Delaware 34, Lehigh 17
2004 – James Madison 14, at Lehigh 13
2010 – Lehigh 14, at Northern Iowa 7
2010 – At Delaware 42, Lehigh 20
2011 – Lehigh 40, at Towson 38
2011 – At North Dakota State 24, Lehigh 0
2016 – At New Hampshire 64, Lehigh 21
2017 – At Stony Brook 59, Lehigh 29
2024 –Lehigh 20, at Richmond 16
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.